We had selected Bali, Indonesia for a family trip as I was aiming to each WT73Jr a little bit about the world and some differences from his life at home in Canada. Bali, Indonesia is a terrific country that offers a lot of cultural immersion if plan your trip right as there are many sights of interest to see outside of the hotel resort property.s

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This post is one chapter on our trip to Bali and Singapore. This trip was redeemed through Lifemiles, AAdvantage and through Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) loyalty programs. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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A Week in and Around Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia

“Although Nusa Dua in Bali, Indonesia isn’t the most exciting place in Bali to stay, it does offer everything needed for a family oriented holiday, including beachfront walkways, a variety of restaurants and a family friendly beach”

Exploring the Seafront Walkway along Nusa Dua:

We spent some time exploring around the Westin Resort Nusa Dua Bali hotel. The hotel had some basic bicycles available for rental. As SPG Gold members, they were kind enough to extend us a one hour free rental, once during our stay. Aligned with memories of riding the East Coast Parkway in Singapore as a child, I took my son down a 2 mile ride down the Nusa Dua pathway. The pathway is quite jagged and zig zags all over the place. We got in an opportunity to visit some of the other temples and resorts along the way.

Visiting the Blowhole in Nusa Dua at Puras Bias Tugel:

There were also some neat coastal ocean views along the pathway. During our trip, we stopped by the Blow Hole located in a bed of volcanic ash. It is located near Puras Bias Tugel. This was anchored in a park with the typical Balinese statutes of warriors.

The walkway out to the ocean was rustically impressive. It appeared to be set on top of rough lava rock.

Continuing our ride, we took in a lot of the scenery of hotels working out way down the back.

There was no shortage of seaside temples in Bali, which is something as part of the charm of Bali. There marked quiet resort beach areas under shady treed spots.

Local Dinners in Nusa Dua:

One of the nice features of the Nusa Dua area was the waterfront walkway that ran up and down the Nusa Dua beach. The walkway allowed you to walk up and down the beach, and the ability to dine off our own resort at any restaurant in the area. Thinking about it, it’s probably pretty unusual for Indonesia to have an ocean front walkway around their beaches. We dined up and down, and took in many sunset walks in the area when the sun started to go down.

Despite the predictability and austereness of the man made beach front of Nusa Dua, it was perfectly appropriate for a family get away and had everything that one needed for a resort styled holiday.

Local Massages at Jari Menari:

During our stay, we also booked into my favourite Indoensian massage place: Jari Menari. They have been around for years and usually rank very highly on Trip Advisor. They’ve opened up a Nusa Dua location and it’s still one of the best Balinese massages I’ve ever had. They offered an introductory children’s massage that allows your child to get a 45 minute massage along side their parent in the same room for $25 USD.

I didn’t need much convincing for WT73Jr to try it and he thought the whole experience and décor of the spa was pretty neat. Jari Menari also offered a free car transfer to and from the property, which was exceptionally convenient and avoided the hassles of finding a taxi. In true Indonesian style, the hot water tank was broken during our visit, so we had no after massage showers today.

How I felt about our week in Nusa Dua:

Overall, the Nusa Dua area was pretty well equipped for a family visit. It didn’t offer the chicness of Seminyak, nor the upscale foodie restaurants that are perfect or exciting for a romantic getaway. Instead, it offered pretty straightforward, family friendly amenities that made the area easy and convenient to fit the needs of an 11 year old. The ability to stay in a nicely equipped Westin property as well was a bonus.

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If you’ve based yourself in Nusa Dua, Indonesia would you do so again?

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